Raghu Dixit Takes Multi-Lingual Route with New Song in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu

Multilingual folk-fusion artist Raghu Dixit’s first glimpse of the upcoming album Shakkar comes in the form of one song in four languages – “Shakkarpari” in Hindi, “Sakkare Chakori” in Kannada, “Sakkarakaari” in Tamil and “Chakkera Pilla” in Telugu.

With the album releasing in July as his band, The Raghu Dixit Project, head out on a tour through the U.K., Ireland and Europe, the first song is clearly the artist’s way to reach as many people as possible, employing a multi-lingual release format that’s often used by filmmakers for soundtracks. In addition to featuring Nashville-based banjo great Bela Fleck on the song, Dixit worked with lyricists such as Neeraj Rajawat (for Hindi lyrics), Madhan Karky (for Tamil lyrics), Kiran Kaverappa (Kannada) and Kittu Vissapragada (Telugu).

Dixit said in a statement about the song, “‘Shakkarpari’ is about a girl who steals sugar from the market only to distribute it to people who have never tasted sweetness. Sugar is a metaphor for happiness and to share one’s happiness will only make one’s own happiness to multiply. It’s about being kind, compassionate and considerate towards people who are facing challenges in their lives.”

The video – which stems from a story idea credited to Dixit’s longtime friend and fellow singer-songwriter Ankur Tewari – is directed and written by Dixit and builds upon the song’s storytelling. A young girl accumulates enough money to buy a chikki bar for a fellow student who’s shown to be a child laborer, without too much time for studies or other childhood delights.

Dixit says, “The idea to write a song about ‘Shakkarpari’ came from my therapy sessions. While I was dealing with my own life’s challenges and darkness, my therapist suggested that I meet people who are less fortunate. I was encouraged to commit myself to do at least one good deed a day to an absolute stranger. While I tried to put this into practice, I saw that I was slowly coming out of my own darkness, smiling more and generally almost always happy. Similarly there were so many people, often strangers, who walked into my life and helped me get through difficult phases of my life.”

Shakkar arrives more than a decade after Dixit’s previous independent album, Jag Changa. In between, the artist has focused more on film soundtrack work, notably taking on interwoven narratives of music in film, like Orchestra, Mysuru! last year.

The Raghu Dixit Project will embark on the Shakkar album launch tour starting July 6th at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, running all the way through to July 28th at the Cambridge Folk Festival. A total of 12 shows span countries like the U.K., Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands and Germany. Dixit adds in a statement about finally having a new album out, “This album holds a special place in my heart, and I hope that the music resonates with listeners across languages and cultures. It has been a labor of love, and I cannot wait for everyone to experience the magic of ‘Shakkar.’”

Hear each version of “Shakkarpari” below.